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Satellite Reentries: A Global Analysis of Their Impacts across Earth Systems and the Atmosphere
Organization(s):Rochester School
Country:Colombia
Student(s):Emiliano Abello Urrea- Rochester School, Km. 15 Vereda Fusca Chía, Cundinamarca Colombia 250008
Diego Sierra Sanchez- Gimnasio La Montaña, Cra. 51 #214-55, Bogotá, Colombia 111166
Maximiliano Morel- Lincoln International Academy, Av. Las Condes 13150, Santiago, Chile 7710113
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Educator(s):Matthew Reis
Contributors:Maria del Pilar Tunarroza, Nicolas Cabrera, Geoffrey Bland, John Zafra, and Brian Saltzer
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report, Standard Research Report
Protocols:Air Temperature, Relative Humidity, Dissolved Oxygen
Presentation Poster:
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Language(s):English
Date Submitted:03/05/2025
The increasing frequency of satellite reentries raises concerns about their potential environmental impacts. This study aims to investigate whether reentry events correlate with changes in meteorological and hydrological parameters using data from space-track.org, the GLOBE Program, and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Statistical analyses, including Student’s T-tests, revealed significant changes in temperature interquartile range (IQR; p = 0.04) and dissolved oxygen levels (p = 0.0221) following reentries. However, the mean distance between decay sites and measurement locations was approximately 645 km, making direct attribution uncertain. Additionally, satellite imagery analysis showed no clear observable correlation between reentry locations and large-scale environmental disturbances. These results suggest that while some statistical anomalies exist, they may reflect natural variability rather than direct effects from reentries. Further research with more localized measurements and controlled conditions is necessary to determine whether satellite reentries have a meaningful environmental impact.